Sport isn’t murder, but if you overexert yourself every day, you risk health consequences. You can find out if you are at risk of overtraining here: These 5 dangers lurk when you exercise every day.
Daily training is certainly possible – but it all depends on how you do it. The body needs rest periods and rest days. However, these do not have to be spent on the couch, but can also be active and sporty. On the other hand, if you push hard every day without a break and ignore your body’s warning signals, training can backfire and have these consequences.
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These 5 dangers lurk when you exercise every day
- You are more susceptible to infections
Regular exercise strengthens the immune system. However, in the hours after training, there is the so-called “open window” effect. Depending on the intensity, our immune system is weakened for between 3 and 72 hours after exercise. Due to a reduced number of white blood cells, we are then more susceptible to infections. Exercising on a daily basis and excessive overtraining can make you sick more often and significantly more susceptible to colds. - You’re More Prone to Injury
Highly motivated beginners often make the mistake of overtraining. Sure, the motivation is there, you want to get quick results and why not train when your muscles feel reasonably fit? Unfortunately, this usually backfires because your tendons, ligaments, and joints don’t recover and adapt as quickly as your muscles do. While a muscle only needs about 48 to a maximum of 72 hours to recover after being completely exhausted, the other structures can take significantly longer. If you train incorrectly and one-sidedly, you risk tearing your ligaments, wearing out your joints and inflaming your tendons. - Your muscles aren’t growing anymore
If you do abdominal exercises every day , you’ll get a six-pack, right? Unfortunately this is a misconception! Because the abdominal muscles – like all other muscles – need at least one full day to regenerate and grow after an intensive training session with numerous crunches, sit-ups or planks. The muscles do not grow during the training itself, but only during the recovery phase. If the necessary regeneration is missing, your muscles will not continue to grow – instead, the risk of injury increases. - You are often tired
In addition to muscles, tendons and ligaments, our nervous system also needs to recover from physical activity. In the absence of restful breaks, our brain and sympathetic nervous system become hyperactive. As a result, the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming and resting, cannot be used. As a result, you are less rested, more irritable and unable to maintain your concentration. - You don’t make any progress
If you train intensively every day and don’t allow your muscles or nervous system to relax, you lose possible training progress. Because these two mechanisms ensure that we improve our fitness level, our strength or our abilities in a certain sport. If the muscles cannot recover, you will not gain either strength or endurance. If your nervous system is overloaded, the innervation, i.e. the neuronal control of your muscles, does not improve either. Therefore, overtraining always leads to a drop in performance in the medium and long term.
Also interesting: 5 signs that you should avoid sport today >>
Exercise every day: How to do it right
- Make a change
If you do the same exercises or train the same muscles every day, it doesn’t do much good! If you trained your arms intensively yesterday, do a relaxed jogging session today. If it was your legs yesterday, do an arm workout today. Not only do you train more effectively, but you also reduce your risk of injury. - Do recovery training
A recovery day doesn’t have to be spent lazily on the couch! If yesterday you worked out your legs with squats and jumps, today simply go for a relaxed swim or a leisurely bike ride. This stimulates blood circulation, which in turn promotes regeneration. Daily exercise is health-promoting and advisable – but the intensity is decisive. - Eat carbohydrates and protein
after exercise After every intensive training session, provide your body with a meal that is not only rich in carbohydrates, but also protein, vitamins and minerals. Vegetable pans with wholemeal pasta and salmon or muesli with yoghurt or quark, berries and various nuts and seeds are suitable for this. Your muscles can only fully regenerate if you have enough energy and protein. - Listen to your body
If you notice that your muscles are completely exhausted, your circulation is simply not up to par today, or you even experience cold symptoms such as a cough, runny nose or fever, these are clear warning signals that you should definitely not train today. Even if your iron will is impressive, you should give your body the rest it needs. In the worst case, a cold caused by exercise can affect the heart and lead to myocarditis .